


Think of the Data

by antigrav_vector



Series: CapIM bingo fills - 2016 [8]
Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Comic), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Comic Book Science, Dialogue Heavy, M/M, Multiverse, Portals, Tony Being Tony, threesome negotiation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 16:57:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6248074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve, Tony, and Tony have a conversation over dinner. Things get... interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Think of the Data

**Author's Note:**

> A fill for the Cap-Ironman Bingo prompt "for science!". Falls in the same miniseries as [The Pursuit of Happiness](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6043084) and [How My Lover Met Himself](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6155368).
> 
> Unbeta'ed.

That evening, Steve had hauled them out of the lab bodily, when both of them had tried to insist on working through the night to get their gadget working, and coerced them into eating. He'd put his foot down; that wasn't happening on his watch when it was so unnecessary.

Both Tonys had tried to protest, so Steve had eventually resorted to the simple expedient of hauling one of them over each of his shoulders and asking JARVIS to lock them out of the workshop until a sane hour of the morning.

His Tony had laughed at him and taken the opportunity to grope him. Steve had rolled his eyes, secure enough in his victory to let Tony have a morsel of revenge.

Just before the point at which Steve had decided he would put them back on their feet, his Tony had turned to his visiting doppelganger and offered, "want a feel?"

"That seems like something you ought to be asking Steve," Stark replied, to Steve's relief.

"I don't put out until the third date," Steve put in, setting Stark securely on his feet and letting Tony stumble a little.

A wry smirk twisted Stark's handsome features, and he huffed, amused. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

Tony opened his mouth, and shut it again when Steve shook his head.

"Dinner first," Steve admonished his lover.

"I'll second that," Stark agreed, eyeing the take-out boxes laid out on the coffee table in the livingroom. "What did you order?"

It was jarring to see someone who looked so much like his Tony and yet looked so different. He'd never thought something like eye color would matter so much, but somehow it did. Stark's eyes were much more piercing than Tony's, and Steve had to assume it was because they were so blue. Stark and Tony both had the intensity about them to make looking away difficult. Doubly so, now that he and Tony were together. He liked to think that he'd have been less susceptible a couple of months ago.

In the end, it took a moment, but Steve handed Stark a carton of beef fried rice. "Chinese."

Tony picked up one of the others and opened it, picking out a seat on the sofa. "Lo mein, huh? Why not."

Stark sat opposite Tony in the plush armchair, and eyed the remaining three cartons of food, then Steve. "Those all for you?" he asked, gesturing with the chopsticks Steve hadn't seen him pick up.

"Yeah," Tony grinned and leaned forward to grab his own utensils as Steve moved to sit next to him on the sofa. "He's got a hell of a metabolism, and we've gotta feed him appropriately."

Stark gave Steve an arch look. "Before or after the sex?"

Had he had a chance to take a bite of his food, Steve would have choked on it. As it was, he could feel the flush climbing his neck. "Excuse me?"

Tony just laughed, loudly and brightly. "Oh man, Steve, your _face_."

Stark gave them both a very self-satisfied smirk. "Why the shocked reaction?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to look innocent. "I ask in pursuit of a noble cause: science."

Tony snorted, still amused. "Has that line ever worked for you? For science? Really?"

"Worth a try," Stark replied. "And in any case, it's not as though my Steve would ever go for it."

Steve raised an eyebrow at Stark. "Have you asked him?"

"No. And I don't intend to." Stark looked caught between regret, pain, and longing. "No matter how much I might want to. There's too much history between us. Too much bad blood."

"So you're hitting on my Steve instead?" Tony gave his double an unimpressed look.

"If you call that 'hitting on him' then I really have to wonder about you." Stark shot back.

"Enough," Steve put his foot down. "Eat, before the food goes cold."

Somewhat to his surprise, that actually worked. Both of them shut up. Tony shrugged and applied himself to his lo mein in silence. Stark, though... Stark _brooded_ for a long minute before he followed suit.

Probably still thinking about his own universe's Steve and whatever had happened.

They sat in silence for a long while.

It was more or less comfortable at first, but the tension began to build slowly as the silence held. Eventually, Steve broke it. "You know," he said, "I really don't think things between you and your Steve are irreparable. I have no idea what happened to you two, but I can't imagine ever abandoning anyone on my team," Stark would have interrupted there, but Steve silenced him with a look and went on, "no matter whether they were still on it or not." It was an unsubtle reference to the way the team had split up after each of their assignments, and Steve could see Tony force himself not to nod in agreement. "We've had our differences, Tony and I," Steve finished, "and it's possible we'll eventually have a fight big enough to rival yours. But I like to think that we'll talk it out somehow, if and when that happens."

This time Tony nodded and put his two cents in. "I'm with him, Shellhead," he said, and Steve wondered about the peculiar nickname. "We're too different not to disagree on some things, and too good at fighting not to fall back on those skills without even meaning to, at times." Tony turned to catch Steve's eye and smile. "But he's one of the best things that's ever happened to me, and I sure as fuck don't want to give that up if I don't have to. Even if it means giving up the sex and going back to being friends."

Stark was eyeing them oddly. "Huh. No wonder everyone called us mom and dad before things went south."

It was a ridiculous mental image, and Steve snickered, caught off guard. Tony grinned at him. Stark shook his head.

They went back to their food for a few minutes, the silence more or less comfortable again. When he was finished, Stark set down his empty container and leaned back in his chair. "You have no idea what my Steve and I have done to one another," he said, visibly trying to pick his words carefully. "But you're not wrong, either."

Steve shrugged. "If he's anything like me, he might take some convincing, but he'll listen."

Tony snorted. "By 'some convincing' he means I cornered him in the gym and forced him to listen to me."

"You didn't exactly make things easier with the way you started trying to seduce me halfway through your speech." Steve tried not to roll his eyes and failed. And, just like that, the mood shifted; Tony always could turn on a metaphorical dime, Steve mused to himself.

"I couldn't help it," Tony defended himself lazily, making Steve snort, "you're just too damned attractive for me to resist. Even when you're mad at me."

Stark looked incredulous. "You two are so married it's almost sickening."

There was a brief silence.

"And you," Tony replied, watching Stark carefully, "are fishing for something. What?"

His blunt tone was laced with curiousity, though, so Stark didn't react much except to lean further back in his chair and lace his fingers together behind his head. It showed off his lean muscles quite nicely, and Steve was sure Stark knew that quite well. Stark stared down Tony for a long moment, holding his double's eyes and smirking until Tony drew a breath to speak.

"Yep," Stark pre-empted him, "it's probably exactly what you're thinking."

"Tony?" Steve looked back and forth between them, lost, as Tony sighed, loudly and dramatically. Stark's aura of satisfaction got deeper.

"Come on, Tony," Stark taunted him, "when are we ever going to have another chance at this? Think of the data."

"Really? Trying that same science line again?" Tony grumbled, but Steve could see his resolve wavering.

Stark laughed. "It works, doesn't it?"

"Tony," Steve interrupted, "want to fill me in?"

"Shellhead, here," his lover replied, "wants to have a go in bed. For science. I can't decide whether he's more interested in you or me, though."

Stark's grin was toothy. "Why not both?" he offered.

Steve stared. "You're serious."

It wasn't, strictly speaking, a question. Stark replied anyway. "Well, yeah. Aren't you the least bit curious?" he asked.

He was. That was the problem. He'd been fighting _not_ to think about the possibility. It would be weird, and might make things awkward, but he did want to know. Not so much to compare, but because he _was_ curious.

Steve glanced at Tony and saw the speculation in his eyes. "Tony?"

Tony shrugged. "It could be fun," he said, "but I'm not about to say yes unless you're on board with the idea."

"I--" Steve swallowed. "Yeah. Okay."

The twin looks of shock and anticipation he got in reply were well worth the risk of awkwardness.


End file.
